Improvement in railway-switches



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICEo THOMAS J. REYNOLDS, OF IRVINGTON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-SWITCH ES.

Specification forming part of Lettere Patent No. 145,013, dated November25, 1873 application led November 5, 1873.

To all whom lit may concern:

Be it lmomi that I, TnoMAs J. REYNOLDS,l of Irvington, county otWashington and State of Illinois, have invented a Railroad-Switch, ofwhich the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to so construct a railroad-switch that atrain passing over the same in either direction, on either the maintrack or siding, will not be thrown from the track if the switch shouldbe misplaced; and in the form of a piece of metal, to hold and protectthe point of the pointed and stationary switch-rail, as is more fullydescribed.

Figure l is a plan of a railroad-switch embodying my invention, theswitch-stand broken on the dotted lines z z, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a section011 the dotted line xm, Fig. l; and Fig.

3, a section on the dotted line y y, Fig. l.

A represents one of the rails of the main track. The rail B, alsoforming a part of the main track, is a pointed and planed rail. C is oneof the rails of the siding, planed out to receive the end of the pointedrail B. D is a `planed and pointed rail of the siding. This rail issecured to the rail A by bolts a a. a,

washers or lugs I) b b being placed between the rails. The end or pointof the rail D is placed in a slot in the piece of metal E. This piece isformed so as to fit close to the rail A, and is vspiked to the ties, andis intended to receive rod Vis secured to a spring, G, this spring beinga part of the target-rod H.

The switch is operated as follows, viz: As shown in Fig. l, the switchis closed, and the main track clear for trains passing in eitherdirection. As shown by the dotted lines, the switch is open for thesiding, the target-rod being held in the switch-stand I by the wedge i.Should a train on the main track come from the left when the switch isin the latter-named position, the ange of the wheel, pressing on therail B, will force it over to the rail C, the spring being ofsufcientstrength to allow ofthe rail B being moved with the target-rod;and yet the pressure of the anges of the wheels will bend the spring sothat the rail Bl will be moved to the rail O and, also, should theswitch be placedfor the main track, (a train coming from the siding tothe main track,) the anges of the wheels will press the rail B from therail O, opening the switch.

By this arrangement it will be impossible for the train to be thrownfrom the track when moving in either direction over the switch, it' theswitch-rail B should be misplaced.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of the rails C B, rod F,spring G, and target-rod H with the rails A D and piece E, as and forthe purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the piece E with the rails A D and lugs b b b, asand for the purpose set forth.

THOMAS J. REYNOLDS.

Witnesses:

NIO GRIBLING, L. F. BARTON.

